TOPIC:

Just dropping in to say hi.
I picked this bike up along with a 81 Goldwing in a trade for a utility trailer. It is a one owner bike and before being dropped off to me the owner did an oil/filter change, new plugs and air filter.

The bike is complete and everything is working. The battery was low and needed charging (I may replace it) and fires up easily. It will need tires, front brake cylinder, seat cover and basic maintenance schedule work but overall I'm quite happy with the trade.

Mike.

Welcome to the KZR community and a nice bike you have
Please give us some facts about your bike

Welcome aboard! Your bike looks like it's in REALLY great condition! I hope you plan to keep it stock since there are so few left that nice.

Here are some tips that you may find helpful:

Many newbies and not so newbies run into or issues with their bikes which could be easily avoided with a little preparation or information. Here are a couple recommendations that I hope you will find useful.

Before riding your KZ you should take a little time to become familiar with it. Simple things like checking the oil, tire pressures, etc. are explained in the Kawasaki Owner's Manual. If you bike didn't come with one (they normally are in a little holder on the bottom of the seat) you can usually find one on eBay - be sure to get one for your exact year/model.


MANUAL

You really should consider buying the Kawasaki Factory Service Manual for your bike. The factory service manual provides instructions on the various maintenance procedures and schedules for your bike, procedures for diagnosing problems, proper torque values for the various fasteners (VERY IMPORTANT), and insight into how each system on your bike works even if you are not repairing that system. Studying the manual before you attempt performing service on your bike will impart an understanding of the system you are working on which will increase the odds of success.

The manuals usually are readily available for most models on eBay and other sources; but be sure to get one that has your specific year and model in it as there are differences between the various KZ650 models. I do not recommend Clymers, Haynes, or other aftermarket manuals as I have seen instances where they provide inaccurate advice. You may decide to use those to supplement the factory manual, but in my opinion they are not a suitable substitute. If you have trouble finding one for your model ask us to help.


TOOLS

WARNING! Do not even try to use Phillips screwdrivers on the Kawasaki cross head screws. Despite their appearance they are not Phillips screws. They are Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) screws. The tips of Phillips screwdrivers are too long & pointed to allow the 4 blades of the screwdriver to properly engage the screws, so when you apply force the screw head slots will deform and look like crap. The fact is that Phillips screws were deliberately designed to have the screwdriver bit "cam out." This was done to prevent production line assembly from over-tightening, stripping, or breaking the screws. JIS screws do not have this problem. A proper fitting JIS bit can tighten a JIS screw to and beyond the torque spec without camming out. Here's the good news - you can easily modify standard Phillips screwdriver tips to fit the JIS screws.

I have ground down the tips of DeWalt #2 and DeWalt #3 Phillips to make them fit JIS screws. The large crosshead screws on the cases take modified #3 bits (or genuine #3 JIS bits). To modify the DeWalt bits you need to grind the very tip a little, then test fit, then grind a little more and test fit, etc. until the bit no longer "rocks" back and forth in the screwhead. Picture 1 below shows how a DeWalt #3 bit fits the case screws of my KZ650 after being ground properly. The #2 DeWalt bits can be modified the same way to fit smaller JIS screws. Pictures 2 and 3 below shows DeWalt #2 and #3 modified bits.

I did find a place that sells authentic JIS bits. They don't list the #3 bit, but if you contact them they can provide the #3 JIS bits even though they are not listed on the website. These folks were very easy to work with, and the authentic bits do work great. Here's their site:

www.rjrcooltools.com/shop_item_detail.cfm?subcat_ID=89

Pictures 4 & 5 below show a comparison between my homemade modified bits with the authentic JIS bits.

PICTURE 1


PICTURE 2


PICTURE 3


PICTURE 4


PICTURE 5


Before reaching for that wrench or ratchet consider the following. The bolts are steel, but your engine and front forks are aluminum. The bolts are much tougher than the aluminum and if over tightened will strip the aluminum threads. Although these can be repaired, preventing damage by applying proper torque will save you grief, time, and money. Tightening fasteners properly requires torque wrenches. Various vendors, including Snap-on, CDI, Sears, etc., market torque wrenches. The two most popular types are the bar type and micrometer type. Either will work, but the micrometer type is a bit easier to use, especially if you are tightening several fasteners with the same torque - such as cylinder head covers. You will need a torque wrench calibrated in INCH POUNDS for many of the bolts. You will also need a torque wrench calibrated in FOOT POUNDS for the larger bolts. Don't try to use the foot pounds wrench on the smaller bolts as it will not be sensitive enough at low torque settings to provide accurate torque. There are many fasteners that require low torque. These include such things as 6mm oil pan bolts, cylinder head cover bolts, etc. for which the torque in 61-78 inch pounds. These low torque bolts require a wrench that is accurate at low settings and this wrench should be graduated in inch pounds. In addition, there are numerous high torque fasteners such as the front axle nuts (51 - 65 foot pounds) or swing arm pivot shaft nuts (58 - 87 foot pounds). These require a wrench that is accurate at higher settings; this wrench should be graduated in foot pounds. Using the proper torque wrenches to correctly tighten fasteners will help prevent damage and contribute to a safe bike. The Kawasaki Service Manual will list the various torque specs for the bolts. I suggest you get the manual before buying the torque wrenches so you can decide which wrenches best meet the torque specs.

Consider buying a can of Kroil penetrating oil and use it to soak stubborn fasteners for a couple days before trying to loosen them. Remember, the original screws and bolts were installed on your bike when Jimmy Carter was President, so many of them may be hard to remove. Kroil can be bought online, at guns shows, and at some other venues.


MOTOR OIL
The ingredients in oils have changed over the years. For example, today's Castrol GTX (and pretty much all AUTOMOBILE oil) is not the same as it was in the 1980's. Back then it worked great in KZ bikes, but things have changed. Zinc and phosphorus additives (ZDDP), important to protect engine components from metal to metal contact, has been reduced since it’s been found to shorten catalytic converter life. Today’s auto oils contain about ½ the ZDDP they used to and different additives have been developed as substitutes. Unfortunately, some of these newer additives, in particular molybdenum disulfide, don’t get along with the wet clutches in our bikes. Newer oils, especially those labeled “Energy Conserving” (EC), which have a high quantity of friction reducing additives, should be avoided. These oils work fine in automobiles but there are better choices for motorcycles.

KZ bikes need oil which is suitable for wet clutches. That distinction was defined by the Japanese Engine Oil Standards Implementation Panel (JASO), and can be noted by oils that meet the "4T” (4 cycle) specification, MA (wet clutch) classification. These oils, which include various synthetic, semi-synthetic, and non-synthetic oils, are sold as specific motorcycle oils. Another type of oil which works well in our bikes is diesel engine oil. These oils are governed by the API (American Petroleum Institute) CI-4/CJ-4 spec and don’t contain clutch-damaging EC additives. You can even purchase Shell Rotella oil which holds a “JASO-MA” certification assuring it will get along well with your wet clutch. All of these newer oils have a reduced ZDDP level too (about 1/3 less than before instead of ½ like the auto oils) but the substitute additives get along better with our bikes needs than automotive oil. Oils that do not hold the JASO-MA rating have either failed the wet clutch test or have not been tested for use in engines with wet clutches. Good luck with the bike! Ed

Here's a pic comparing JIS bits to Phillips bits. Ed

Thanks for the welcome. The bike is a 1981 model. It was posted for sale along with a 1981 Goldwing. I really only wanted the LTD and was quite willing to only trade for that but the guy asked if I wanted the Goldwing as well. He sent pics of both along with a quite detailed description of what both bikes need to be roadworthy. Needless to say I jumped at the deal sight unseen.

The owner lives 3 hours away so while he was in town he dropped off the LTD as well as the vehicle registration. He is the original owner and bought it locally.

The bike has a little bit of scuffing on the speedometer so it either fell over at one time or he scraped it against something. The seat looks good in the picture but the seam where the seat rises is coming apart. Over the winter I will take the cover off and see what I will do. The inside of the gas tank looks rust free and there is only a couple of very small chips in the paint right by the seat.

The exhaust pipes have holes rusted through the bottom near the outlet so I may take them off, cut it out and weld new metal in. The front brake cylinder looks like someone tried to take the cover off and destroyed the heads of the screws. I'll drill the dead off and tack a nut on and slowly work them out then rebuild it.

The tires are old and will be replaced and the chain and sprockets will be inspected at the same time. The throttle cable is out of adjustment and when I slacken it off the bike won't idle so I do need to make the proper idle adjustments as well. When the idle is very low I can definitely hear the cam chain making noise so I will see if the adjuster will take care of it or if it's seized.

I have some work ahead and I have enough tools to easily work on it. I also have a brother that is a journeyman welder and another brother that's a machinist so fixing or making parts is a phone call away.

I'm not sure how this got into the engine section so I hope a moderator can move it to the appropriate sub forum.

If you don't have a service manual go to

www.750turbo.com/manuals/

and take the GPz750_Base Manual.pdf




Michael

The KZ750 is a sweetheart of a ride. I've got an E model (standard) and love it.

Be sure to do a valve adjust and consider going through the carbs to update everything.

Good luck

I love the Japanese cruisers. Now I have mine and can hardly wait to get it on the road. I will keep it as original as parts availability allows. It has just over 17,000kn on it.

Nice! That's a very clean LTD.

Hi Troubled1,
Nice bike. Now, make sure it'll stop before you go Ridin'.
Ridin' helps clear the mind of troubles. Like pushing the lever on the porcelain tank, Ridin' supplies a mental flush.

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE